General sheep thread

MIKEKC

wrangler wrote: »

You should really ask your scanner, most farmers wouldn't let them go past 100 days,

Scanner said he would prefer 70 days. They were close to 100 days. A large percentage are wrong. Scanned for singles and having twins. Luckily ewes were in good condition. Will know better next year. Thanks for reply

DJ98

Had 7 ewes lamb today in the space of a couple of hours, left the shed to go to the vets and came back to 14 lambs in the shed, managed to pair up 3 sets of twins but the other lambs were all over the place with 2 ewes that didn't lamb take up with a couple and the other ewes only took up with one lamb each but every lamb is feeding off different ewes at different times. The problem is that I can't pair up the remaining lambs to ewes. Anyone any suggestions? Everything was fine when leaving but a pure mess/disaster when I returned. All ewes had twin lambs.

farawaygrass

DJ98 wrote: »

Had 7 ewes lamb today in the space of a couple of hours, left the shed to go to the vets and came back to 14 lambs in the shed, managed to pair up 3 sets of twins but the other lambs were all over the place with 2 ewes that didn't lamb take up with a couple and the other ewes only took up with one lamb each but every lamb is feeding off different ewes at different times. The problem is that I can't pair up the remaining lambs to ewes. Anyone any suggestions? Everything was fine when leaving but a pure mess/disaster when I returned. All ewes had twin lambs.

Same thing happened me but with 4 ewes and 8 lambs, and that was a pain so my sympathy to you! When I had all mine paired up it was one lamb that wasn’t happy with its ewe, wanted to be with a different one. I paired them up best I could and they all ok in the end. I lambed a ewe one day and if she was part of that situation I’d never have got the lambs right. She had one real black sufflocky lamb and the other was real white and fine, two completely different lambs.

mayoireland

Have many of ye had any problems with other sheep claiming new born lamb ? I have never seen it so bad every twin born outside there is two sheep fighting over the lambs .I have found 3 times where the out side sheep has moved away with the lamb .luckily not long enough for the real mother to reject the lamb

Bleating Lamb

DJ98 wrote: »

Had 7 ewes lamb today in the space of a couple of hours, left the shed to go to the vets and came back to 14 lambs in the shed, managed to pair up 3 sets of twins but the other lambs were all over the place with 2 ewes that didn't lamb take up with a couple and the other ewes only took up with one lamb each but every lamb is feeding off different ewes at different times. The problem is that I can't pair up the remaining lambs to ewes. Anyone any suggestions? Everything was fine when leaving but a pure mess/disaster when I returned. All ewes had twin lambs.

Only big positive to take from it is they all lambed safely.....had you any luck matching the lambs up after that?

Sami23

Advice please.
I've a Ewe with twin lambs coming up 3 weeks old and noticed the last couple of days that her elder was very big looking despite seeing the lambs sucking her.
I caught her yesterday and there is plenty of milk in both tits but I can feel little lumps about the size of peas inside her tits and up in the elder from the tits.
Never seen this before - what could it be ?
Tia

razor8

Sami23 wrote: »

Advice please.
I've a Ewe with twin lambs coming up 3 weeks old and noticed the last couple of days that her elder was very big looking despite seeing the lambs sucking her.
I caught her yesterday and there is plenty of milk in both tits but I can feel little lumps about the size of peas inside her tits and up in the elder from the tits.
Never seen this before - what could it be ?
Tia

It’s scar tissue from previous mastitis/infection. Likely to get mastitis later on. It restricts the flow & the lambs will end up chawing the teat to get milk out causing sores. There’s not a lot you can do only feed her well so they can get enough milk through the teat

Sami23

razor8 wrote: »

It’s scar tissue from previous mastitis/infection. Likely to get mastitis later on. It restricts the flow & the lambs will end up chawing the teat to get milk out causing sores. There’s not a lot you can do only feed her well so they can get enough milk through the teat

One for Culling so I'd say

DJ98

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

Only big positive to take from it is they all lambed safely.....had you any luck matching the lambs up after that?

They matched themselves up but still not right but eveylamb has a ewe to feed from, so not too bad I suppose

DJ98

Both an orphan lamb feeder to feed the pet lambs this year, it's not a branded one or anything but the problem I have with is that I can't getting the heating element to work, anyone any tips or suggestions as to what could be wrong?

Dickie10

i presume the prolapse plastic tool wouldnt stop a ewe trying to lamb would it? watching this ewe over a week now.

Dickie10

Dickie10 wrote: »

i presume the prolapse plastic tool wouldnt stop a ewe trying to lamb would it? watching this ewe over a week now.

Ive had em lamb no hassle with it on....not best practice i suspect and i try not to let it happen


It shouldnt stop them from lambing afaik anyway.....as it just holds everything in and they should open up as normal inside?




On a side note,ive gone towards using the harness,when possible,as have had more one of the plastic retainers fail....the quality in em is gone to sh1te,we have some 20 year old ones,better than the new ones

Dickie10

grand im watchin her like a hawk but she seems comfortble just seems like she will never go and lamb!

Oldira

I have a ewe that I thought had twin lamb disease. I got a drench from the vet yet 5 days later she still looks ill. Isn’t eating just drinking water. Any ideas?

wrangler

Oldira wrote: »

I have a ewe that I thought had twin lamb disease. I got a drench from the vet yet 5 days later she still looks ill. Isn’t eating just drinking water. Any ideas?

Very difficult to cure twin lamb disease, sometimes all you can do is try to keep her going with the drench a few times a day until she lambs, she could have rotten lambs in her too. did you try Ivy, if they don't eat that they're very sick.
Calcium might help

weatherbyfoxer

loosing a few lambs here at birth due being the sack they are born in being hard to break through,.the live lambs seem strong and healthy when born,only thing in common both years is the ewes are getting a 20% nut up till last year it was only 18%..the ewes would also be in very good condition..(maybe too good)..im wonder is the extra protein causing the problem,anyone any ideas?

orm0nd

weatherbyfoxer wrote: »

loosing a few lambs here at birth due being the sack they are born in being hard to break through,.the live lambs seem strong and healthy when born,only thing in common both years is the ewes are getting a 20% nut up till last year it was only 18%..the ewes would also be in very good condition..(maybe too good)..im wonder is the extra protein causing the problem,anyone any ideas?

It could be a mineral issue either too much or too little of 1 particular mineral.

Maybe get a couple of bloods checked.

If the p content of the nuts were undigested it's possible as well.

Always like to use a mix of soya and rape here.

wrangler

weatherbyfoxer wrote: »

loosing a few lambs here at birth due being the sack they are born in being hard to break through,.the live lambs seem strong and healthy when born,only thing in common both years is the ewes are getting a 20% nut up till last year it was only 18%..the ewes would also be in very good condition..(maybe too good)..im wonder is the extra protein causing the problem,anyone any ideas?

We probably used 50% more meal/nuts than anyone here because we're compensating for the poor feed value of straw.
We've never had that problem so it's unlikely to be because of too much protein or too much minerals, We also give a bolus 3 weeks before lambing

Green farmer

weatherbyfoxer wrote: »

loosing a few lambs here at birth due being the sack they are born in being hard to break through,.the live lambs seem strong and healthy when born,only thing in common both years is the ewes are getting a 20% nut up till last year it was only 18%..the ewes would also be in very good condition..(maybe too good)..im wonder is the extra protein causing the problem,anyone any ideas?

Had it here a few years ago. Two things I noticed at the time. Firstly I changed nuts and secondly it coincided with sunny weather. At the time the sun was drying out the sack very quickly making it hard. Dont know which one caused it, but since I changed nut and lambing setup, hasn't happened since.

AntrimGlens

weatherbyfoxer wrote: »

loosing a few lambs here at birth due being the sack they are born in being hard to break through,.the live lambs seem strong and healthy when born,only thing in common both years is the ewes are getting a 20% nut up till last year it was only 18%..the ewes would also be in very good condition..(maybe too good)..im wonder is the extra protein causing the problem,anyone any ideas?

I'd love to know too. Just lost the second lamb here with the bag over its head, my own fault as I slipped out of the shed to put diesel in the jeep and was only away 10 minutes and came bag to a good big twin lying covered with the sac and the ewe licking her first lamb. Fckuing raging with myself.
I'm feeding an 18% nut, so doubt if it's too much protein. The only thing I can say is both lambs lost are off the same ram??

Finding ewes lambing with an extremely short labour and many of them showing no signs that they're about to drop. I've seen me watching a ewe both when in the shed and on the camera that's in labour and panning around the shed only to see a lamb born in another pen that I wasn't watching at all.

weatherbyfoxer

wrangler wrote: »

We probably used 50% more meal/nuts than anyone here because we're compensating for the poor feed value of straw.
We've never had that problem so it's unlikely to be because of too much protein or too much minerals, We also give a bolus 3 weeks before lambing

dropped off the last one i lost this morning into the veterinary lab in Kilkenny to see if its infection or abortion...really think it is the nuts to be honest..ewe are getting adlib 75%dmd silage and are in excellent condition twins are get .7kg and thriplets 1kg per day

weatherbyfoxer

weatherbyfoxer wrote: »

dropped off the last one i lost this morning into the veterinary lab in Kilkenny to see if its infection or abortion...really think it is the nuts to be honest..ewe are getting adlib 75%dmd silage and are in excellent condition twins are get .7kg and thriplets 1kg per day

Il be interested to find out more about this.....nothing more sickening than to find an otherwise healthy lamb dead over this

eire23

I doubt it's the nuts lads, feeding a 20% protein but here and on 72dmd silage. The twins are on 1.5lbs and the triplets 2lbs. Have seen no bother with the sack the lambs are born in being hard to break.
But I'd agree with antrim Glen's on finding it hard to spot sheep lambing, can be no sign one minute and the next time I go around theirs a ewe with a water bag out. The weather is suiting the job anyways. Had 32 lamb here yesterday, if the weather was bad I'd be in bother with shed space.

anyone have any suggestions on dealìng with buzzards was out looking at lambs today and 2 circling overhead/swooping down squeling at the lambs

.they've nearly every rabbit,pigeon/small bird cleared from area here,if they get taste for lambs they could do worse than any fox imo


Like in 2 to 3 weeks,the lambs probably gone too big was gonna get a banger off a neighbour,who still has a small bit of tillage

Birdnuts

Deleted User wrote: »

anyone have any suggestions on dealìng with buzzards was out looking at lambs today and 2 circling overhead/swooping down squeling at the lambs

.they've nearly every rabbit,pigeon/small bird cleared from area here,if they get taste for lambs they could do worse than any fox imo


Like in 2 to 3 weeks,the lambs probably gone too big was gonna get a banger off a neighbour,who still has a small bit of tillage

Buzzards won't bother lambs - they actually have very small feet and only weigh 2-3 ponds despite their apparent size(nearly all wing and tail) . The largest prey items they take are rabbits but mainly rely on scavenging road kill and the like. They only reason they would land in a field of sheep is to check out any afterbirth lying about or carcasses. They don't bother small birds either and are actually the farmers friend in terms of dealing with vermin like rats, young crows etc.. At this time of year they do make a racket while circling high up as males and females are very vocal pairing up

PS: I would also add that they are a fully protected species

390kid

Had a hogget here this morning that took some form of a seizure. She ran up fed with the others then ran back and took this form of a fit? Lost power in the legs and staggered about. Any ideas on what it could a been caused by or what I should give her now?

charolais0153

weatherbyfoxer wrote: »

dropped off the last one i lost this morning into the veterinary lab in Kilkenny to see if its infection or abortion...really think it is the nuts to be honest..ewe are getting adlib 75%dmd silage and are in excellent condition twins are get .7kg and thriplets 1kg per day

Any prolapse? What was wrong with lamb you dropped in?

wrangler

390kid wrote: »

Had a hogget here this morning that took some form of a seizure. She ran up fed with the others then ran back and took this form of a fit? Lost power in the legs and staggered about. Any ideas on what it could a been caused by or what I should give her now?

sometimes if they're greedy the meal goes with they're breath, if she's alright this morning that's likely to be it

arctictree

Lads, a hogget that rejected her single lamb. Would ye cull?

J.O. Farmer

arctictree wrote: »

Lads, a hogget that rejected her single lamb. Would ye cull?

1st time lambing?

I'd probably record it and give her another chance assuming no other complaints.